TEHRAN – The number of inmates of involuntary crimes released with the help of Tehrani philanthropists last year (March 2020-March 2021) has increased by more than 51 percent compared to a year before.

Last year, 634 indebted prisoners were released with the help of benefactors in Tehran province, which is 51 percent higher than that of a year before, Seyed Heshmatollah Hayat Al-Gheyb, the director-general of Tehran prisons, said.

A total of 149 billion rials (nearly $3.5 million at the official rate of 42,000 rials) has been donated to pay the debt of the released prisoners, he stated.

Freeing prisoners of involuntary crimes is done in three ways; the first way is granting prisoners leave and the second way is providing a number of them with loans to be paid inside the prison, and the third way of assistance is the release of unintentional convicts by paying their debt. 9,398 inmates of unintentional crimes freed nationwide

Iranian benefactors helped release a total of 9,398 inmates of unintentional crimes across the country over the past Iranian calendar year (March 2020-March 2021), according to the Blood Money Organization.

Freeing prisoners of involuntary crimes is done in three ways; the first way is granting prisoners leave and the second way is providing a number of them with loans to be paid inside the prison.

The third way of assistance is the release of unintentional convicts by paying their debt; last year, a total of 35 trillion rials (nearly $833 million at the official rate of 42,000 rials) has been donated to pay the debt of the released prisoners.

Last year, Isfahan province topped the list for releasing the highest number of prisoners amounting to 677 involuntary crime doers, while Sistan-Baluchestan at the bottom of the list.

As an annual tradition, benefactors come together in a ceremony to raise funds for releasing prisoners of unintentional crimes during the holy month of Ramadan (which started on April 13 this year), through which, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has donated 5 billion rials (about $120,000 at the official rate of 42,000 rials).

Last year (March 2020-March 2021), heads of the three branches of the government and the private sector donated 6.5 billion rials (nearly $150,000) to release prisoners who had committed involuntary crimes.

President Hassan Rouhani, former Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, and Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raeisi made a total of 3.9 billion rials (around $92,000) in contributions to free prisoners of unintentional crimes.

According to Asadollah Joolaei, head of Blood Money Organization, there are currently 12,874 inmates of unintentional crimes in the country’s prisons.

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